Newsline - May 18, 1998

President
Boris Yeltsin said he was satisfied with the results of the
G-8 summit in Birmingham, England, Russian media
reported. Yeltsin said he spoke on all 12 issues on the
summit's agenda and "defended our stance if it did not
coincide with the opinion of the other summit participants."
Russian press hailed the summit as the first at which
Russia participated as a full member but noted that Yeltsin
did not attend a meeting to discuss the Asian financial
crisis and that the Russian financial minister was not
invited to an earlier session of the group's ministers.
Yeltsin, however, pointed out that no one referred to the
summit as the "G-7." British Prime Minister Tony Blair, for
his part, on 17 May praised the Russian contribution to the
"G-8" summit. Members voted to postpone a decision on
Yeltsin's proposal to hold the 2000 annual gathering in
Russia, rather than Japan, but expressed support for his
suggestion to organize a meeting in Moscow next year on
combatting crime. BP

YELTSIN MEETS WITH CLINTON...

Yeltsin held a one-hour
meeting with President Bill Clinton on 17 May, ITAR-TASS
and Interfax reported. Yeltsin told the U.S. leader that he is
"determined" to have the START-2 treaty ratified and that
he is looking forward to Clinton's visit to Russia, which, he
said, he hopes will take place in July. Russian presidential
spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembskii went one step further,
saying that after ratification of START-2, Russia will begin
a "practical phase of negotiations" designed to facilitate
the signing of START-3 and establish the "complete parity
of Russia and the United States in that sphere." Both
presidents called for the G-8 members to increase
controls over the export of military, rocket, and dual-
purpose technology. Yeltsin backed a continued U.S.
military presence in Macedonia. And he introduced Saratov
Governor Dmitrii Ayatskov to Clinton as the "next Russian
president." BP

...AND WITH BLAIR, BRITISH BUSINESSMEN

Yeltsin met
separately with Tony Blair on 15 May and reached tentative
agreement on an informal "meeting without neckties" (a
term used in Yeltsin's recent meetings with the Japanese
prime minister) in Russia next year. Yeltsin invited Britain
to participate in a project with Russia, Ukraine, France, and
Germany to produce An-70 transport planes. Yeltsin also
met with leading representatives of the British business
community, whom he called "our tried and trusted
partners." Some of the businessmen complained that
starting prices for shares in the Russian company Rosneft
are too high. Yeltsin said he will examine the issue. BP

YELTSIN TO HOLD TALKS WITH LATVIAN PRESIDENT?

Arriving in Birmingham on 15 May, Yeltsin said he is
confident he will soon meet with Latvian President Guntis
Ulmanis and "reach an agreement." He welcomed recent
proposals by Riga to relax citizenship regulations, noting
that the "message" of those proposals is "not to
discriminate against Russians." "There will be no
discriminatory measures against the Baltic States on our
part," Yeltsin said. The president added that relations with
Estonia are "somewhat more complicated but we will reach
a solution to the problem." The next day, Yastrzhembskii
sounded a somewhat less conciliatory note, saying Yeltsin
plans to meet with Ulmanis but only "on the basis of a
request from the Latvian side." He said that without
changes in the citizenship law recommended by such
international bodies as the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, "it is hard to expect progress in
Russian-Latvian relations." JC

LEBED WINS KRASNOYARSK ELECTION...

Former Security
Council Secretary Aleksandr Lebed won the 17 May
gubernatorial election in Krasnoyarsk Krai with 57 percent
of the vote. His rival, incumbent Valerii Zubov, gained 38
percent, despite running a more active campaign than
Lebed in the runup to the second round. Turnout was some
63 percent, roughly the same as in the first round. After
the early returns were announced, Zubov told NTV that he
will not contest the election results. But ITAR-TASS
quoted an unnamed source in the Krasnoyarsk Krai
Electoral Commission as saying Lebed's staff violated
several campaign regulations. The source said the
violations were sufficient to justify annulling the election
and that the prosecutor's office has already been informed
about those violations. Some commentators have
predicted that the authorities would annul the election in
the event of a Lebed victory (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 and
12 May 1998). LB

...LEAVES DOOR OPEN ON PRESIDENTIAL BID

Appearing
on NTV on 18 May, after the early election results were
announced, Lebed said he has no plans "for now" to run for
president in 2000. He noted that presidential campaigns
are expensive and time-consuming and that "big and
difficult" work awaits him as Krasnoyarsk governor.
However, he did not rule out a presidential bid "if I am
needed." During the campaign, Zubov repeatedly charged
that Lebed has no roots in Krasnoyarsk and merely wants
to use the Siberian region's natural resources to help
finance a presidential campaign. Lebed has repeatedly said
he will not run for president until he improves the
Krasnoyarsk economy. During a 15 May appearance on local
television, he appeared to rule out running in 2000, saying
that "it is not possible to turn around the situation in the
region within two years," AFP reported. LB

GOVERNMENT PROMISES SUPPORT FOR COAL
INDUSTRY...

Prime Minister Sergei Kirienko announced on
16 May that the federal government has found additional
funds for the coal industry, although he did not specify how
much will be spent on top of the 5.7 billion rubles ($930
million) allocated in the 1998 budget, Russian news
agencies reported. Speaking to journalists after a meeting
with leaders of trade unions that represent coal industry
workers, Kirienko said privatization and alcohol sales will
bring in additional revenues, and money will be saved by
limiting energy consumption by budget-funded
organizations. Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, who
also attended the meeting, said the government will spend
385 million rubles on back wages for miners by the end of
May. LB

...AS KIRIENKO LINKS ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO BUDGET
CUTS

Kirienko addressed the State Duma on 15 May after
Communist deputies threatened to block parliamentary
proceedings if the prime minister did not come to the
chamber to report on the situation in the coal industry,
RFE/RL's Moscow bureau reported. Kirienko proposed a
draft law that would cut 1998 spending on the State Duma,
the Federation Council, the government, the Audit
Chamber, and the presidential administration by 25
percent. He said the measure would save 500 million rubles
($81 million), which would be used to support the coal
industry. The Duma passed the law in the first reading by
369 to two, Russian news agencies reported on 15 May.
However, Agrarian faction leader Nikolai Kharitonov
accused Kirienko of using the difficult situation in the coal
sector to propose a "hidden sequester of the 1998 budget."
The budget projects 500 billion rubles in total 1998
spending. LB

MINERS UNIMPRESSED BY PROMISES

The promises by
top government officials to find more money for the coal
sector did not persuade miners in Komi Republic or
Kemerovo Oblast to end their blockades of the Moscow-
Vorkuta railroad or the Trans-Siberian railroad (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 15 May 1998). Meanwhile, 100 coal
miners in Perm Oblast blocked a major highway on 18 May,
ITAR-TASS reported. LB

KIRIENKO OUTLINES HIS RESPONSIBILITIES...

Prime
Minister Kirienko has signed a document assigning the
responsibilities within his cabinet, Russian news agencies
reported on 15 May. In addition to supervising the
activities of other cabinet members, Kirienko will be
directly involved in the work of the following ministries:
Atomic Energy, State Property, Science and Technologies,
Agriculture, Finance, Economics, and Justice. He will also
monitor the work of the "power ministries," which are
directly subordinate to the president, and will coordinate
Russian policy on arms exports, military and technical
cooperation with other countries, and military reform. LB

...AND DIVISION OF LABOR AMONG HIS DEPUTIES

Deputy Prime Minister Nemtsov will carry out the prime
minister's duties in Kirienko's absence, according to the
document signed by Kirienko. He will also be responsible
for land reform and housing policy and will coordinate
government policies on energy, transportation, regulating
natural monopolies, ensuring competition, and supporting
small businesses. Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko
will be responsible for a wide range of economic issues,
including the development of the banking sector, the
management of state property, privatization, revenue
collection efforts, and matters related to Russia's internal
and external debt. Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Sysuev will
supervise the government's social policies, in particular
pension reform, restructuring the social benefits system,
and health and education matters. He will also coordinate
the government's relations with the mass media, trade
unions, public associations, and religious organizations. LB

CHUBAIS REASSURES FOREIGN SHAREHOLDERS

Unified
Energy System (EES) chief executive Anatolii Chubais on 16
May said a new law on the distribution of the company's
shares does not threaten foreign shareholders, Interfax
reported. He criticized the law, which restricts foreign
ownership of EES to a maximum of 25 percent, but added
that the Russian civil code protects the rights of
shareholders. The law does not specify how foreign
ownership of EES, currently above 25 percent, is to be
reduced (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 May 1998). Meanwhile,
presidential spokesman Yastrzhembskii on 15 May charged
that the Duma "stabbed the market economy in the back"
by passing the law on EES shares. He did not comment on
the fact that Yeltsin was compelled to sign the law only
after the Federation Council, made up of regional
legislative and executive leaders, also overrode the
president's veto. LB

MAYOR CRUSHES INCUMBENT GOVERNOR IN SMOLENSK

Smolensk Mayor Aleksandr Prokhorov won the 17 May
gubernatorial election in Smolensk Oblast with 67.3
percent of the vote, ITAR-TASS reported. Incumbent
Anatolii Glushenkov gained just 26.5 percent, according to
preliminary returns. The Smolensk race was unusual in that
Prokhorov had the backing of both the Communist Party
and the presidential administration, "Kommersant-Daily"
reported on 16 May. The Communists were disillusioned
with Glushenkov, whom they supported in the 1993
gubernatorial election. The Kremlin recognized that
Prokhorov had better electoral prospects and is counting
on him to "forget" the promises he made to the
Communists during the campaign. The oblast has
traditionally been a Communist stronghold: Gennadii
Zyuganov received 56 percent of the vote in the region in
the 1996 presidential election, while Yeltsin gained just 38
percent. LB

INCUMBENT LEADER LOSES IN KARELIA

Preliminary
returns suggest that Sergei Katanandov gained 49.5
percent of the vote in the 17 May election for the top
executive post in the Republic of Karelia, ITAR-TASS
reported. Incumbent Viktor Stepanov, who was backed by
the Communist Party and its political allies, gained 43.4
percent. Katanandov was until last month mayor of
Petrozavodsk, the republic's capital city, but he did not
seek re-election, choosing instead to challenge Stepanov.
His supporters included the Our Home Is Russia movement,
the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, and Moscow Mayor
Yurii Luzhkov. Katanandov told ITAR-TASS that among his
first actions will be to conduct an audit of his
predecessor's allocation of funds. LB

COURT APPROVES DECISION TO ANNUL NIZHNII
ELECTION

A raion court in Nizhnii Novgorod on 15 May
approved the decision by the city's electoral commission
to annul the 29 March mayoral election, Russian news
agencies reported. The court found that Andrei Klimentev,
the apparent winner of the election, and several rival
candidates violated various campaign rules in the weeks
leading up to the election. The city's electoral law allows
election results to be canceled if candidates break
campaign rules. But some observers have said the Nizhnii
Novgorod statute violates federal law (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 8 April 1998). A representative for Klimentev
announced plans to appeal to the Nizhnii Novgorod Oblast
Court. LB

RUSSIAN, CHECHEN INTERIOR MINISTERS DISCUSS
COOPERATION

Meeting in the Ingush capital, Nazran, on 16
May, Sergei Stepashin and Kazbek Makhashev agreed on
measures to intensify cooperation between their
ministries. Makhashev told journalists that the talks were
"productive and useful" and that, as a professional,
Stepashin understands the importance of coordinating
measures to combat kidnapping and political terrorism. He
also said that the man who shot dead Chechen Deputy
Security Minister Shamsudi Uvaisayev, former Foreign
Minister Ruslan Chimaev, and two others during the night of
15-16 May was insane. Makhashev ruled out any political
dimension to the murders. The following day, Stepashin
met with Chechen field commanders to discuss how to
secure the release of some 50 Russian and foreign
hostages, including Russian presidential envoy to Chechnya
Valentin Vlasov. LF

MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMEN CONTINUE TALKS

The co-
chairmen of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe's Minsk Group met with Armenian President
Robert Kocharian in Yerevan on 15 May. Kocharian again
called for direct talks between the Karabakh and
Azerbaijani leaderships and ruled out any direct
subordination of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. He also
advocated establishing a "sub-regional security system"
to create a balance of forces in the region. The president of
the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkadii
Ghukasyan, said on 15 May that he believes the conflict can
be resolved if all sides demonstrate the necessary
political will, Interfax reported. Ghukasyan said that the
Minsk Group co-chairmen showed "understanding" for the
Karabakh Armenian position. Azerbaijani President Heidar
Aliyev told the co-chairmen in Baku on 16 May that he hopes
for a swift solution to the conflict. He also reaffirmed his
commitment to the cease-fire agreement signed in May
1994. LF

UN SPECIAL ENVOY ASSESSES ABKHAZ SITUATION

Speaking in Sukhumi on 16 May, Liviu Bota expressed
concern at the increased incidence of what he termed
professionally planned and executed terrorist activities in
Abkhazia, ITAR-TASS reported. Bota said that neither
Abkhazia nor Georgia appears to want peace and that the
withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from the region would
render the situation potentially explosive. Bota also
rejected Georgian calls for a stricter economic blockade of
Abkhazia, saying he does not believe the embargo is
conducive to resolving the conflict. The Georgian
leadership wants the blockade to remain in force until
ethnic Georgians who fled Abkhazia during the 1992-1993
fighting have been repatriated. But Abkhaz President
Vladislav Ardzinba on 15 May told representatives of the
CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly that the beginning of
repatriation should be contingent on lifting the embargo.
LF

ABKHAZ PARLIAMENT, PRESIDENT REJECT CIS
PROPOSALS

The Abkhaz parliament on 15 May adopted a
resolution rejecting the "Additional Measures on resolving
the Abkhaz conflict" adopted at last month's CIS summit,
Caucasus Press reported. The resolution said those
measures are a concerted effort to exert pressure on
Abkhazia by the Russian and Georgian Foreign Ministries. It
called on Ardzinba to propose that the CIS peacekeeping
force's mandate be revoked and to reject further Russian
mediation. Ardzinba, for his part, rejected the proposals
contained in the "Additional Measures" to extend the
security zone in which the CIS peacekeepers are deployed
and to create joint Abkhaz-Georgian local government
bodies in Abkhazia's southernmost Gali Raion. Ethnic
Georgian displaced persons are to be repatriated to that
area. LF

AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION AGAIN PROTESTS ELECTION
LEGISLATION

Musavat Party chairman Isa Gambar and
Azerbaijan Popular Front chairman Abulfaz Elchibey said
that the parliament's adoption in the third and final reading
of a new law on the creation of the Central Electoral
Commission is "an erroneous step by the authorities,"
Turan reported on 15 May. Under that law, half of the 24
members of the Central Electoral Commission are to be
appointed by the president and the other half by the ruling
New Azerbaijan party. Elchibey hinted that opposition
parties may boycott the October presidential poll to
protest the law. By the same token, Gambar said that his
party may boycott the elections if changes are not made in
the draft law on the presidential elections to remove the
minimum 50 percent plus one turnout. LF

UTO COMPLAINS ABOUT 'TROIKA' AGREEMENT

The
leader of the United Tajik Opposition, Said Abdullo Nuri
said the decision to form a "troika" of Russia, Uzbekistan,
and Tajikistan to combat the threat of fundamentalism in
Central Asian endangers the Tajik peace process, ITAR-
TASS reported on 15 May. Nuri called the threat "an
invention" of "certain circles" and said "fundamentalism
does not exist in Tajikistan." The next day, ITAR-TASS
quoted Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov as a saying
fundamentalism is a real threat in the region and claiming
that religious radicals are already disseminating
fundamentalist propaganda in Tajikistan. BP

AKAYEV TO RUN FOR ANOTHER TERM AS KYRGYZ
PRESIDENT?

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kubanychbek JumAliyev
on 14 May said that current President Askar Akayev is
eligible to run in the 2000 presidential elections, RFE/RL
correspondents reported. Akayev was elected by the
Supreme Soviet as president of the Kirghiz Soviet
Socialist Republic in 1990, and he was twice voted Kyrgyz
president in direct elections, in 1991 and 1995. The Kyrgyz
Constitution stipulates that a president may stay in office
for only two terms, but JumAliyev said the constitution was
adopted in 1993 and therefore covers only the last
presidential election. There are also reports that
parliamentary deputies are drawing up an amendment to
make possible a third term in office for the president. BP

BELARUS BLOCKS HUMANITARIAN AID TO CHORNOBYL
VICTIMS

Participants in a conference in Warsaw on 16 May
focusing on the after-effects of the Chornobyl nuclear
accident adopted a resolution saying that Belarusian
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's "dictatorial regime is
preventing international humanitarian aid from reaching
victims of the disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear power
station," AFP reported. The 12-state meeting condemned
the Belarusian government for introducing a 40 percent tax
on international humanitarian aid and appealed to the
international community to send aid directly to the some 3
million Chornobyl victims in Belarus. Also on 16 May, some
50 young people from various European countries staged a
protest in front of the Belarusian embassy in Warsaw to
denounce Lukashenka's regime and its human rights
violations. JM

PREMIER SAYS BELARUS ON RIGHT TRACK

Syarhey Linh
told the National Assembly on 15 May that Belarus's
economic performance in 1998 shows that the government
has chosen the correct strategy and work methods,
Belapan and Interfax reported. The premier said real
incomes increased by 10 percent from January-April, while
GDP grew by 12 percent, compared with the same period in
1997. The government intends to keep this year's budget
deficit below 3.5 percent of GDP. At the same time, Linh
noted the government's failure to keep the monthly
inflation rate below the planned 2 percent. He also said that
the profitability of enterprises has dropped from 17.3
percent to 6.3 percent. JM

UKRAINIAN MINERS, TEACHERS PROTEST WAGE
ARREARS

More than 1,000 coal miners from Pervomaysk
set off on a 130-kilometer march to Dnipropetrovsk on 15
May to demand the payment of wage arrears, Ukrainian
Television reported. According to the Independent Trade
Union of Coal Miners, strikes continue at 46 mines over
wage arrears (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 and 7 May 1998).
Also on 15 May, some 3,500 teachers in Kherson staged a
rally in front of the local government building to demand
payment of the previous two months' wages. Fifty of the 55
schools in Kherson are on strike, while almost 300 teachers
have declared a hunger strike. JM

ULMANIS GREETS YELTSIN STATEMENT

Responding to
press reports of Yeltsin's statement in Birmingham at the
G-8 summit (see Part I), Ulmanis welcomed the Russian
president's desire to expand political dialogue with Latvia.
An "open and regular dialogue" will strengthen mutual
confidence and create stability in the region, he said,
noting that Russian-Latvian relations and European
integration have created "a vast circle of issues to be
discussed." JC

LITHUANIA INTRODUCES HARSHER PUNISHMENT FOR
TERRORIST ACTS

The parliament has introduced harsher
punishment for the acquisition, possession, production, and
sale of firearms, ammunition, and explosives, BNS reported
on 15 May, It has also added an article to the penal code on
crimes classified as "acts of terrorism." Such acts that
result in any deaths or in which three or more individuals
are seriously injured now carry prison sentences of 10-20
years. The same punishment can be handed down for
explosions or arson against state agencies or facilities of
strategic importance to the national security. The move
follows a recent wave in Lithuania of explosions and arson
attacks. JC

POLAND TO HOLD LOCAL ELECTIONS ON 11 OCTOBER

Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek signed a decree on 16
May stating that local elections will be held on 11 October.
The elections to three-tier local governments, which are
to replace the current two-level administrative system,
will pave the way for completing administrative reform. An
April opinion poll showed that 48 percent of Poles support
reducing the number of provinces and introducing the
"powiat," a middle tier of local administration. However, 46
percent of the respondents demand that a national
referendum be held on administrative reform. JM

RALLY TURNS VIOLENT IN PRAGUE

A rally of
environmental activists on Prague's main Wenceslas Square
on 16 May turned into an open clash with the police. Four
policemen were injured, and some 50 youths aged 13-20,
including several German youngsters, were detained after
breaking shop windows and plundering, CTK reported.
Twenty-five people were later charged with breach of
public order and damaging property, and nine were kept in
custody. The rally began as an authorized, pre-election
meeting organized by the Czechoslovak Anarchist
Federation and the radical ecological Earth First movement
to protest the impact of economic globalization on the
environment. MS

ROM KILLED IN RACIAL INCIDENT

A Romany man
was killed by a passing truck in the night from 16-17 May in
Orlova, police told CTK on 17 May. He had been left lying on
the road after being attacked by a group of skinheads, who
were detained. The truck driver fled the scene. The incident
occurred after a Romani father and his daughter were
verbally insulted by the skinheads on their way home from
a restaurant. Four Roma attacked the skinheads, who fought
back. The chairman of the Orlova Roma Civic Initiative told
CTK that the death would be avenged. MS

EXPERT TEAM CHIEF WARNS AGAINST SLOVAK
NUCLEAR PLANT

Wolfgang Kromp, the Austrian chief of
an international team of experts who inspected the
controversial Mochovce nuclear plant last month, says the
plant must not be allowed to become operational, Reuters
reported, citing the Austrian APA agency. In an appeal to
Austrian Chancellor Viktor Klima, Slovak Prime Minister
Vladimir Meciar and the director of the plant, Kromp said
triggering the first chain reaction at the plant could lead to
the contamination of the reactor. The Soviet-made plant is
located some 120 kilometers from Vienna. Austrian
authorities have long expressed concern about its safety.
MS

HUNGARY'S MAJOR PARTIES CONCERNED ABOUT FAR-
RIGHT GAINS

The ruling Socialist Party (MSZP) and its
main center-right challenger, the Federation of Young
Democrats-Hungarian Civic Party (FIDESZ-MPP), have
reassured the Jewish community that they will not let the
gains of the extreme-right Hungarian Justice and Life Party
(MIEP) threaten Hungary's democratic progress. MSZP
executive deputy chairwoman Magda Kovacsne Kosa told
Peter Feldmajer, the president of the Federation of
Hungarian Jewish Communities, that her party will do its
best to ensure that all can live in peace and security in
Hungary. Feldmajer said that FIDESZ has stressed that
under no circumstances would it "accept the MIEP's
support" in a new government. MSZ

SERBIA BLOCKADES KOSOVA

The Serbian authorities
closed the border crossings into Kosova to all private
vehicles on 15 May, regardless of whether drivers are
Serbian or ethnic Albanian. Police have since allowed only
vehicles belonging to state-owned corporations to pass.
Serbian authorities gave no official explanation for
stopping the private vehicles. One unnamed official told
Reuters that all vehicles periodically require a safety
check and that Kosovar drivers can "afford the delay"
because "the Albanians are all smugglers and they are very
rich as a result." Other observers have suggested that
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has placed
restrictions on economic activity in Kosova in retaliation
for the latest international sanctions against his country.
PM

THREE KOSOVARS KILLED

Three ethnic Albanians died
near Klina on the Prishtina-Peja road on 17 May. The Kosova
Information Center reported that the deaths occurred when
police attacked a village in the area. KIC added that several
homes were "burned, others were demolished, and [still]
others pillaged." Serbian sources stated that armed
Kosovars attacked a paramilitary police patrol and that
one policeman was wounded. There was no independent
report on the incident because Serbian authorities have
barred the road to foreign journalists for more than one
week. PM

SERBIAN POLICE EVICT SERBIAN STUDENTS

Serbian
police on 18 May ordered several hundred Serbian students
to leave the premises of the Technical Faculty of Prishtina
University, which are slated to revert to the control of
Kosovar faculty and students later in the day. The Serbs
began their protest on 17 May against the latest stage in
the implementation of the education agreement that
representatives of Milosevic and Rugova signed in March.
The pact restores Albanian-language education in
government school buildings in stages between 31 March
and 30 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 April 1998). A
Kosovar spokesman recently told "RFE/RL Newsline" in
Thessaloniki that the implementation of the education
agreement has become a low priority for the Kosovar
leadership since the end of February, when the Serbian
crackdown began. PM

NO RESULTS FROM MILOSEVIC-RUGOVA MEETING

Milosevic told Kosovar leader Ibrahim Rugova during two
hours of talks in Belgrade on 15 May that Kosova must
remain part of Serbia and that the Kosova question is an
internal Serbian affair. Rugova said that Kosova must
become independent, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"
reported, citing sources close to the Kosovar leader. Four
top advisers from his 15-strong negotiating team
accompanied Rugova, but two members of the so-called G-
15 resigned from that body to protest Rugova's decision,
which he made under U.S. pressure, to meet Milosevic
without a foreign intermediary present. Later this week,
the G-15 and its Serbian counterpart will begin holding
weekly meetings that will alternate between Prishtina and
Belgrade (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 May 1998). PM

ALBANIA STILL WANTS NATO PRESENCE

Prime Minister
Fatos Nano said in a statement on 16 May that the
Milosevic-Rugova talks represent a "positive preliminary
result.... This gives hope for a peaceful solution of the
Kosova problem, for a quiet future of the region in general
and especially for the lowering of armed tension on our
state border." Nano added: "We stick by our request for the
intensification of cooperation with NATO and the
undertaking of a series of stabilizing measures" along
Albania's border with Kosova. Tirana has repeatedly called
for the stationing of NATO troops to bolster security in the
region, as UN peacekeepers have helped do in Macedonia.
NATO has twice turned down the request (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 7 May 1998). AFP reported from Brussels on 15
May that NATO has sent "a reconnaissance mission" to
northern Albania to study the terrain in preparation for a
possible deployment. PM

HERZEGOVINIANS REBUKE TUDJMAN, WESTENDORP

Members of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is a branch organization of
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's party, elected hard-
liner Ante Jelavic as party chairman at the HDZ's annual
convention in Mostar on 16 May. Tudjman, through his
personal emissary Ivic Pasalic, backed the candidacy of the
more moderate Bozo Ljubica. It is unclear how Tudjman will
respond to the delegates' decision, the Zagreb daily
"Jutarnji list" wrote on 18 May. In a letter to the convention
on 16 May, Carlos Westendorp, who is the international
community's chief representative in Bosnia, told the
delegates that the Herzegovinian Croats must abandon
efforts to create their own mini-state within the mainly
Croatian and Muslim federation. Jelavic told the delegates
that the HDZ will continue with its current policies and
stressed that the Croats must have their own army. PM

HEBRANG APPOINTED CROATIAN DEFENSE MINISTER

Tudjman appointed outgoing Health Minister Andrija
Hebrang to succeed the late Gojko Susak as defense
minister in Zagreb on 14 May. Hebrang said following his
appointment that the Croatian army should "be adjusted to
all the principles of...NATO [but] also remain the main
protector of Croatian people and state's interests." PM

SERBIAN BROADCASTERS DEFY GOVERNMENT

Participants in a meeting of the Association of Independent
Electronic Media (ANEM) agreed in Belgrade on 17 May to
"continue their broadcasts regardless to the decision of
the Yugoslav Ministry of Telecommunications on the
allocation of temporary frequencies" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 13 May 1998), Radio B-92 reported. The
independent broadcasters argue that the new monthly fee
of $35,000 is prohibitively high for private broadcasters in
Yugoslavia. ANEM members charge that the government is
using the high fees to drive them off the air. PM

SLOVENIAN TRUCKERS CUT OFF LJUBLJANA

Several
hundred truckers blocked roads leading into the Slovenian
capital on 18 May to protest the introduction of a new road
use tax. The drivers also want the authorities to relax new
traffic regulations, which, among other things, include
tougher punishments for motorists driving under the
influence of alcohol. In other news, Prime Minister Janez
Drnovsek faces a vote of confidence later this week
stemming from the disclosure last winter of the existence
of a secret defense pact between Slovenia and Israel.
Drnovsek needs the support of the Slovenian People's
Party (SLS), which is a member of his governing coalition,
to survive the vote. Observers say that Drnovsek's party
may not be willing to pay the high political price that the
SLS is demanding in order to secure its support. PM

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER IN ROMANIA

Ismail Cem
and his Romanian counterpart, Andrei Plesu, on 15 May
welcomed the beginning of a dialogue between Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic and Kosova Albanian minority
leader Ibrahim Rugova. At the same time, they said that if
the dialogue fails, their countries are "ready to
contemplate other measures" to help resolve the conflict.
Among other things, they discussed the setting up of the
multinational military force for south-eastern Europe but
disagreed on where its headquarters should be. Turkey has
proposed the Bulgarian city of Plodviv, while Romania
prefers Constanta, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported.
Cem also held talks on improving bilateral economic ties
with President Emil Constantinescu, Premier Radu Vasile,
and parliamentary chairman Petre Roman. MS

WORLD BANK TO RENEGOTIATE ROMANIAN LOANS

Kenneth Lay, the World Bank official responsible for
Romania, said on 15 May after talks with Romanian officials
that the bank will negotiate with Bucharest three accords
to replace the FESAL agreements, RFE/RL's Bucharest
bureau reported. Those agreements were canceled after
Romania failed to abide by their provisions. Lay said the
new accords will be used for the privatization of the
banking sector and state owned-enterprises, adding that
further aid is entirely dependent on the success of
Romania's privatization program. The FESAL agreements
were signed in 1994 and canceled on 30 April. MS

DEADLOCK IN MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT PARLEYS?

Mircea Snegur and Iurie Rosca, the co-chairmen of the
Democratic Convention of Moldova (CDM), on 15 May told
journalists in Chisinau that the CDM will not agree to any
further compromises in talks with Premier-designate Ion
Ciubuc on the distribution of portfolios in the new
government, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Snegur
said Ciubuc has accepted only two of the CDM's seven
proposals for cabinet ministers, whereas the CDM has
agreed to the re-appointment of Nicolae Tabacaru as
foreign minister and Tudor Botnaru as minister for state
security, both at the insistence of President Petru
Lucinschi. The same day, Lucinschi said the coalition must
take into consideration the views of the premier-
designate. MS

BULGARIAN PREMIER DENIES BREAKING ARMS
EMBARGO

"Demokratsiya" on 16 May quoted Ivan Kostov
as denying that Bulgaria is involved in breaking the UN
embargo on arms deliveries to Sierra Leone. He said that
Bulgaria is "strictly observing" the embargo and that no
Bulgarian company has done business with the British
Sandline International company. According to a recent
report published in the "Sunday Times," Sandline
International has delivered Bulgarian-made arms to Sierra
Leone. Kostov said that if Bulgarian arms reached Sierra
Leone via another African country, Sofia "bears no
responsibility" for that development. Meanwhile, Romanian
media reported on 15-16 May that a transport of
Bulgarian-made machineguns destined for Slovakia was
turned back at the Calafat border checkpoint because the
transit had not been cleared with the Romanian authorities.
MS

STILL STRANGERS IN THEIR OWN HOMELAND

by Mubeyyin Batu Altan

On 18 May, Crimean Tatars mark the 54th anniversary
of their mass deportation from Crimea by the Soviet
authorities. Although that was one of the saddest days in
the history of the Crimean Tatar people, they are by no
means the only ones who have to live with such a heritage.
Among the other nations deported by Stalin were the
Koreans, Chechens, Ingush, Karachais, Volga Germans, and
Kalmyks, to name just a few. Why then do we, the Crimean
Tatar community, consider 18 May so important?

The reason is simple: the "Surgun," as the mass
deportation is called in Crimean Tatar, has not yet ended.
More than half of the Crimean Tatars deported 54 years ago
have so far been unable to return, even though most other
deported groups are now back in their historical
homelands. Along with the Ahiska (Meskhetian) Turks, the
Crimean Tatars stand out as the nation that continues to
experience the direct effects of deportation and not just
the resulting dislocation.

If the Crimean Tatars had been helped to return to
their homeland, had received an apology from those
responsible, and had been compensated for their losses, 18
May would not have the significance it is currently
accorded. It would, of course, be commemorated as a time
of mourning. But the next day, Crimean Tatars would return
to normal life.

Unfortunately, they do not have that option. And as a
result, the Crimean Tatars have no choice but to make a big
fuss about their deportation and thus keep the memory of
18 May 1944 alive. Their nation remains divided; many still
have relatives in Uzbekistan or other parts of the former
Soviet Union who cannot yet return to Crimea . Indeed,
many continue to search for relatives lost during the
"Surgun," as a glance at Crimean Tatar newspapers shows.
Advertisements in those papers reveal that even now,
many Crimean Tatars have been unable to find out whether
their loved ones are alive or dead.

Moreover, it appears that many Crimean Tatars are
losing ground in their peaceful struggle to return and
resettle in their Crimean homeland. Some 90.000 Crimean
Tatars were denied the right to cast their ballots in the
March 1998 Ukrainian elections because Kyiv does not
consider them citizens of Ukraine--despite the fact that
they were forcibly and unjustly uprooted from their
homeland and did not become Uzbek citizens by choice. As
a result, the Crimean Tatars have almost no representation
in the current Crimean parliament--in sharp contrast to the
situation before the March ballot, when they had 14
representatives in the legislature.

Mustafa Jemilev and Refat Chubarov, the two Crimean
Tatar representatives in the Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv,
are bound to find it extremely difficult to shoulder the
responsibility for an entire people, even with the support
of the Ukrainian government. And unfortunately, it appears
that there are many in Kyiv who will seek to block their
efforts to help the Crimean Tatars.

On 17 May, Crimean Tatars living in the U.S. once again
peacefully gathered to commemorate the "Surgun." At a
special ceremony in Corum, New York, they dedicated the
first Crimean Tatar monument in honor of all Crimean
Tatars who were killed or died during the "Surgun" and its
aftermath. And, in particular, they remembered those
whose bodies were thrown off the trains carrying the
Crimean Tatars from their homeland to Uzbekistan.

But for the Crimean Tatars in Crimea and for those
still living in exile, everyday is another "18 May." This will
remain the case until all the Crimean Tatars are able to
return and settle in their ancestral homeland, until they are
allowed to live there in peace and harmony with other
nationalities just as they did before the "Surgun." But as
they continue their struggle, it is both their hope and ours
that there will be no more martyrs to add to the long list
of those who have already died for the Crimean Tatar
national cause.
The author is editor of "Crimean Review," a U.S.-based,
English-language publication dedicated to recording the
history and current status of the Crimean Tatars.